heartbeats
by allthegold
Summary: Dazai Osamu had barely changed in the times over years she'd encountered him, Wigglytuff had thought. However, escaping her notice, some changes were less obvious... and more heart-centered.
1. Chapter 1

_encounter one_

* * *

The first time was when Dazai was eighteen. He had found out (the hard way) that bullets were painful and sometimes impossible to avoid. _Better cross that off the list of potential suicide methods_ , he thought dreamily. Odasaku was telling him something as the man half-carried half-dragged him into the hospital, but Dazai couldn't really understand. Everything went darkish for a few seconds, and when he blinked, he was being laid down on a cot in a whole other place.

"...bullet to the right of his stomach," Odasaku was telling someone, "blood loss kept to minimum but he's in shock, I think…"

Dazai tried to lift himself to see where he was but his side told him _no_ so he quickly laid back down. _Ow. Ow._ Had his vision always been this terrible? He could see a few blurry figures. Odasaku… a male nurse… someone with long pink hair who was doing something to his wrist…

"didse come.. to.. double soosid..?" Dazai slurred.

"Pardon?" a lovely, nice voice said. The woman's face came into focus for a split second, _big teal eyes_ , then blurred again.

"No, Dazai, she's not here to do a double suicide with you. That's your doctor." Dazai murmured some irritated words under his breath. He was becoming aware of a slick wetness along the side of his torso, and gentle fingers probing his side. _Ow. More pain._

"I administered an IV to help dull the pain, but I think he'll be unconscious in a minute or two," the doctor murmured to Odasaku. "Do you know his blood type?"

A tingling warmth had begun to spread from where the doctor's fingers had touched. Maybe.. the IV… was kicking in really nicely…. The feeling was odd, though. Less like numbness and more like soft little sparks mending his flesh. _Wow, I must be really out of it,_ Dazai thought. Even if she had an ability, it wouldn't be working on me.

"I''d b e .. nconsious faster.. if you.. upped mo'phine.." he tried to express his wisdom. Even though the imaginary magical sparks were doing a good job of helping him feel better.

A bright light was suddenly shone into his eyes and he blinked. "What is your name? Age? Can you tell me where you are?" the pink-haired doctor said.

"Doctor… you look.. twenty...five ish...hospital.." Odasaku sighed somewhere near his head.

"Not my name and age, yours," the woman said. Oh. But she was really pretty, he realized, as his eyes readjusted to normal light. _Ow._ The pain was numbing a little but it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. Nothing made sense. _Nice, pretty doctor. Odasaku…._ "Dazai.. ..moo… eight.."

* * *

Dr. Wigglytuff worked at the most dangerous hospital in the city, the Port Hospital. It was where the victims of the three-way war between the Port Mafia, the Guild, and the Armed Detective Agency went because of the hospital's strictly neutral policy. No questions were asked even when suspicious (most likely ability-related) injuries popped up often.

Dr. Wigglytuff also had powers of her own, but not because of an Ability. She was not human at all. However, due to her dedication to helping, she rarely went into her _other_ form. Besides her little sister Jigglypuff, the rest of the world saw her as a nice, (extremely clumsy) white-coat wearing young woman.

It was near the end of her shift when a teenager was carried in by his friend, the wound in his side obvious and dripping blood all over the floor.. She had volunteered to take the patient.

Wigglytuff waved her hand over the patient's eyes. "He's out. The anesthesiologist will be here soon and we can begin surgery." Wigglytuff had subtly helped the boy with the pain by using a small amount of her powers, but since the bullet was still in him she could not fully seal up the wound. His dark suit was torn and covered in blood. "More nurses will be here soon, and we get him out of this suit…" She turned to the companion who had brought the patient in. "Can you tell me his and your information?"

The scarlet haired man looked uncomfortable. "I am.. Odasaku… His name is Dazai Osamu, he is eighteen…"

Wigglytuff could deduce that they were from the Port Mafia. The specific hospital she worked at was a neutral zone for the three-way fight between the ADA, mafia, and Guild, and most of the patients she saw had ability or gun-related injuries. "That's fine. Any.. abilities the patient possesses that will affect the removal of the bullet from his side?" She smiled, trying to set him at ease.

"No ability works on him," Odasaku said, glancing down at the blood-covered, unconscious man. "He has nullification powers."

 _Interesting_. That was an ability she hadn't heard of before. Wigglytuff looked down at "Dazai Moo," visually checking his vitals. The bullet had missed any important organs but the pain had put the boy into shock. His dark, wavy hair was damp with sweat and his skin was pale. Bandages ran across his face and around his arms and neck. "What are these other injuries from?" she said, gesturing to them.

"There are no injuries. He wears them to limit skin-to-skin contact so as not to affect comrade's abilities." That made sense.

The mafia… she was surprised that an eighteen-year-old was involved with it. Enough that he would be in harm's way. "They keep coming younger and younger," she said quietly. It was disheartening. Odasaku seemed like a good friend, though. Wigglytuff unhooked the IV bag from the wall and set it on a moving cart, preparing to move the boy for surgery.

"You seem quite young yourself, doctor, to be working in a hospital with this kind of reputation," Odasaku said.

"I-I'm twenty-five," she said, "so I suppose.. I'm young for a doctor.. maybe…" Her special.. _gifts_.. in the area of healing had helped her speed along schooling. She had wanted to work at the Port Hospital ever since she heard about how awful the injuries often were there, because she could help the most at that location.

She slipped off one of her blood-covered gloves so she didn't get the metal dirty. Dazai still looked clammy but a little better. Wigglytuff gently pressed her hand against his forehead, feeling for a possible infection-related fever. He felt warm, but normal. His tangled, sweat-damp hair caught on her fingers as he pulled away.

Odasaku looked worried. _It is good that even though this boy is in the mafia, he has a caring friend to watch over him_ , Wigglytuff thought.

Time to move onto her other patients….

* * *

Dazai blinked at the light of his room. "I woke up," he said. A little disappointed.

"A bullet to the side won't kill you," Odasaku said dryly, voice coming to the right. Dazai closed his eyes again.

"Remind me never to commit suicide by gun. Unless there's a lot of morphine involved." He tried to recall the events of when he was last awake. "How long have I been out?"

"A day. It's the afternoon now." He heard the sound of a book closing. Odasaku stood, leaning over him and visually checking Dazai for any abnormalities. "How do you feel?"

"My stomach hurts…" The wound throbbed. He tenderly ran his hand over the bandages underneath his hospital gown. "Ow." There was a long, clear IV in his wrist, and he poked at it curiously. Hopefully it was pain killers. "Hey, Odasaku.. where's that gorgeous lady who was going to commit lovers' suicide with me?"

"That was your doctor, Dazai, and she was not going to commit suicide with you."

The eighteen-year-old sighed dramatically (then winced, wishing he hadn't breathed in so deep because the stitches pulled). "She was super into me, I could tell."

"You told her your first name was Moo. I do not think you were as lucid as you recall."

Dazai rested his arm over his eyes. His head had begun to hurt again. Odasaku was right, when he had been shot, everything had become very confusing and dizzy. He could remember… an odd, warm tingling in his side… That must have been a hallucination. "Did she have an Ability?"

Odasaku was silent for a moment. "I do not think so. It would not have affected your treatment, anyways… Why do you ask?"

"No reason. When did she say we should check out?"

"The doctor said in five days your injury would be safe enough to walk with."

"We'll check out tomorrow morning."

* * *

Mafioso were notorious for sneaking out of the hospital much too early after major surgeries. It often ended up with the same mafiosos right back in the hospital a few days later because they had torn unhealed stitches or strained themselves too much. It wasn't because they were trying to escape paying for their treatment (the hospital received over half of its money from anonymous payments that came later), it was because they were so thirsty to be back in battle on the streets.

Wigglytuff looked at the empty hospital room her patient had been in. _Oh, dear._

"He's young, so hopefully it will have healed enough in twenty-four hours that he won't be back anytime soon.." she sighed to herself. Dazai "moo" had disappeared, along with Odasaku, in the early hours of the morning just before her shift had started.

"He'd better not stretch those stitches."

* * *

" _Stay off the streets tonight," one of the doctors she was acquainted with told her as Wigglytuff grabbed her coat. "There's death on the horizon because of the Port Mafia."_

" _Did something happen?" Wigglytuff said. There was always fighting going on in the night, but the hospital's residents were veterans when it came to the city's war. The other doctor nodded._

" _One of their own, a higher-up, broke ranks and did a lot of damage to the Mafia. They're hunting for his blood."_

" _Wow.." the pink-haired woman murmured. "That's scary… Do you think they'll catch him?"_

 _The doctor shook his head. "No way, not if the rumors about him are true. He was one of the five executives, the strongest men they had, and he's only eighteen. The other four are gunning for him."_

 _Wigglytuff recalled another young Port Mafia member she had treated several months ago. "That's so young."_

" _Yes… That's why the Mafia is so angry. They can't execute revenge on him. So be careful, okay?"_

" _I will. See you tomorrow," Wigglytuff said brightly, and left the hospital._

* * *

end of the first encounter


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Osamu Dazai met Wigglytuff was three years later.

The flu had been going around in full force in the city, and while it rarely claimed anyone's life, it brought many to the hospital. The people who showed up in the ER were all dangerous men and women who were angry that something as mundane as the flu was stopping them from fighting. All the doctors were on full shifts and overtime, and so most of the medical staff were just as irritated as the angry people they were treating.

Dr. Wigglytuff was the exception. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face. Besides, she was doing what she loved the most- helping people (even if these people were very dangerous killers). "Mr. Nakahara, please come this way-"

"I dON'T EVEn NEED TO BE HERE," the angry man she was tirelessly trying to coax to a room repeated for the fiftieth time. He was _not_ happy that he had ingested the flu. "Screw this, I'm FINe-" he started coughing painfully and fell over. Wigglytuff sighed, then waved over a male nurse to help lift Mr. Nakahara onto a gurney so they could get him to bed. Even though she was actually the same height as Mr. Nakahara, the little mafioso probably would have been very angry if she had lifted him herself.

The orange-haired man seethed (and wheezed) quietly as he was rolled down the hallway "like an invalid," he hissed under his breathe. Wigglytuff only smiled down at him.

The rooms were all nearly filled to capacity, but they found one for him. There were two beds, and the other one was surprisingly empty. "Tell the other doctor assigned to this floor that there's another empty bed here," Wigglytuff told the nurse. He nodded. "Your shift is almost over, isn't it? Could you have another nurse sent as well?"

Once the nurse had left, Wigglytuff turned back to her angry patient. "Mr. Nakhara, how long have you had symptoms?" she said, looking around for a clipboard.

"I 'M FINE."

"Considering we had to roll you down here, I don't think you're completely healthy. The sooner we get your information, the sooner we can treat you and then you can be on your way!" she smiled brightly. Wigglytuff could have used her powers, but if she healed every flu-sick person that she encountered, she would be very weak, and then if someone with a life-threatening injury came she couldn't help them.

Mr. Nakahara still did not look like he wanted to talk. "Dr. Wigglytuff?" a lighter voice said from behind them, in the doorway.

"Ah, hello Rin!" Wigglytuff said, turning. "I'm glad you're here. I was just starting to get Mr. Nakahara's medical history, but could you do it? I couldn't find a clipboard."

Rin was a kind, nineteen-year-old interning nurse who had started work at the hospital the past year. She wore a knee-length white and red nurse's dress and black tights, with her dark brown hair pulled back by a ribbon, and like Wigglytuff, smiled often. "Of course!"

She pulled out her tablet. Rin had an ability that was quite amazing; she could write or draw something on her tablet and it would appear or happen in real life. Depending on the magnitude of her creations, sometimes they would revert back to their normal state in a few hours or puff into nonexistence (rarely), but most of the time it was useful when the hospital was out of bandages or paper for clipboards. Chuuya looked suspiciously at the glowing tablet in Rin's arms. "What's that?"

"For taking notes! Now, what is your full name?" Wigglytuff busied herself with preparing an IV. When Mr. Nakahara didn't respond, Rin blinked at him with big, reddish brown eyes. Wigglytuff smiled to herself as the orange-head blushed angrily.

"Nakahara.. Chuuya…" Rin wrote it on her tablet.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Nakahara! Now, what is your date of birth, weight…" The questions continued. Wigglytuff was surprised. The hospital made a point of not asking about living situation or other things that would openly implicate patients with their murderous careers, but usually patients still weren't very open. However, Chuuya was answering all of Rin's questions. _How nice._ He even allowed her to take his temperature.

Once she had finished, the tablet glittered in the light and suddenly there was a piece of paper fluttering to the floor. Chuuya jumped. "Where did that come from?"

"It's my ability," Rin said happily, picking up the medical history sheet she had written out form the floor.

"You have an ability?" Chuuya looked surprised. The nurse nodded, clipping the paper to the end of the bed. Wigglytuff handed Rin some clothes.

"Mr. Nakahara, do you think you will be able to change into these?" the dark-haired girl asked him. He looked like he had recovered a little strength after sitting on the bed, but was still very pale and had raspy breathing. "If you are feeling too sick, I can help you-"

"N-NO, I can dO It," Chuuya said, jumping to his feet, then swaying dangerously. Rin was a few inches taller than him. He made his way over to the bathroom door in the room and pulled it open with more force than necessary, disappearing into the small room. "never should have come here," they could hear him mutter under his breath.

"Thank you for your help, Rin," Wigglytuff said. "I'm going to go check on some other patients. Page me if you require any assistance with Mr. Nakahara."

"Alright!" Rin said. They heard Mr. Nakhara say more choice words about being sick from inside the bathroom, and both giggled. "Make sure to tie up the back, Mr. Nakahara!" Rin called through the door.

Wigglytuff breezed out of the room, deciding to perform her regular checks on the many other people who had the flu. She yawned, feeling a little sleepy. She had the night shift, and it felt like it was going to be a long night. "Dr. Wigglytuff!" someone called from down the hall. Wigglytuff turned around.

Her foot suddenly caught on the wheel of a gurney and she tripped (internally cursing her own clumsiness). A strong arm wrapped around her shoulders as she fell into someone behind her. Wigglytuff stared down with large teal eyes at the arm across her shoulders and collar, wondering why there were bandages around the person's wrist. She blinked, regaining balance, and quickly pulled away. "Th-thank you for catching me!" she said, turning to meet to her savior. "I'm really clumsy, sorry!"

 _Wait... I know this person..._ Wigglytuff almost did not recognize him at first. After all, it had been several years since she had seen him, and he had been only eighteen, dressed in all black, and covered in blood then.

Dazai Osamu, or "moo" as she remembered him, stared back.

His curlish dark hair was much cleaner than it had been when she had first seen him, and his face was fully revealed ( no longer covered by danges). _He'd be… twenty-one now?_ she thought. He, unfortunately, was still sickly pale. Dazai looked like he was trying to remember where he had seen her before. _I never thought I'd see him again._ How strange that he was here, now three years later. And that she'd literally fallen into him.

"Dr. Wigglytuff, nurse Fred said that you have an extra room? Do you think that you could take this patient? I'm all filled up," the doctor who had called her name seconds previous said.

"Of course." Wigglytuff smiled at Dazai. "Come with me, please." _He must have a bad strain of the flu._ Dazai and his blond friend followed the pink-haired doctor.

"Have we met before?" Dazai asked her. The blond man next to him groaned.

"Dazai, now is not the time for you pathetic flirting attempts." Wigglytuff laughed.

"No, it's fine, Mr….?"

"Kunikida."

"Mr. Kunikida. Dazai and I have met before, I believe, several years ago when he was shot." Wigglytuff led them to the room she had just left. "I performed the surgery to remove a bullet from his side, but unfortunately he left before I could check up on him again."

"My double suicide partner!" Dazai said triumphantly, finally remembering. "I-" he broke into a fit of coughing that sounded painful.

 _Suicide? That's a funny thing to remember. I recall he mentioned suicide three years ago._ "Sit down here, please," Wigglytuff said, gesturing to the empty bed. "Do not strain yourself with trying to speak, your friend can help us instead. It sounds as if you have been infected with a particularly bad strain of the flu."

Chuuya looked up at the new occupants. "DAZAI," he hissed. Dazai lifted his head, wiping his mouth, and looked surprised upon seeing who his roommate would be.

"Chuuya."

"Oh, you two know each other?" Rin said from the end of the room where she was setting up Chuuya's monitor.

"He's my mortal enemy," Chuuya said in the scariest voice he could manage (which was not very scary because his throat was dry). "We cannot be in the same room."

"This is the only available room," Wigglytuff said distractedly, pulling her long hair back into a ponytail. From a qualitative glance, Dazai had worse symptoms than Chuuya, and she needed to personally make sure his life wasn't in immediate danger. "The hospital is a neutral zone, so I'll have to ask any vendettas or personal allegiances be put on hold until you exist the premises."

"This might not be the best idea… but if it's the only space.." Kunikida said, glancing between Dazai and Chuuya.

"jUST KICK hIM O-" Chuuya started to say scarily, then sneezed three times in a row. Rin stuck a tissue against his nose.

"Blow, please," she said. The short mafioso looked even more angry and grew red like a tomato, but gave in and sniffled.

Dazai looked smug and was about to say something but began coughing again. He hunched in pain. Rin came over, sensing that help might've been required. "Do you need me to get an intubator kit?" she asked Wigglytuff.

"Not yet. Can you get his relevant medical history from Mr. Kunikida right here? I don't think Mr. Dazai is in a state to speak right now."

Dazai coughed again, trying to stop. "I- just need morphine," he gasped. Wigglytuff sighed.

"I think you asked for the same thing last time, Mr. Dazai. Morphine will not help you get better. Can you sit up, please?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, helping the dark-haired man to a sitting position. "You'll need to take this overcoat off," she said. He shrugged off the coat with considerable effort, unbuttoning the vest he wore underneath with slightly shaking fingers. Wigglytuff put the stethoscope in her ears, lifting up the back of Dazai's white shirt. Bandages lined his back. "Can I remove these?" she said. Dazai was very still.

"Yes," Kunikida answered for his friend. Rin handed Wigglytuff a pair of scissors, and she gently unwound the bandages from around Dazai. Then, she pressed the stethoscope against his skin, between his shoulder blades. He didn't make any objection to its icy oldness, but kept his back unnaturally straight and unmoving.

She listened intently. The sound of Kunikida and Rin's quiet conversation was drowned out by the sound of Dazai's heartbeat and breathing in her ears. The doctor moved the stethoscope across his back, trying to detect how much fluid was in his lungs. The thumping of his heartbeat sped up a little. _Thump-thump. Thump-thump._ She smiled to herself. _It's nice to meet him again when he is much more clear-headed and clean._

She recalled how Dazai had caught her when she had tripped, and how much taller he seemed. Of course, he had been laying down the last time she had seen him, but perhaps he was more mature… ( _Recalling the inappropriate comments Dazai had made about suicide.. maybe not_ ). It was funny and odd that she would have him again as a patient.

Wigglytuff pulled the stethoscopes ends out of her ears, dropping Dazai's shirt again. "He has a lot of fluid in his lungs, but his breathing is not too impaired yet. His heartbeat is 19505/344 bae." Rin scribbled on her tablet, and seconds later a piece of paper materialized. Dazai turned around, observing the ability with some curiosity.

The nurse handed the paper of information Kunikada had provided to Wigglytuff. She looked over it. _Dazai Osamu, age twenty-one, member of the Armed Detective Agency. Ability: Nullifcation. Blood type: AB._ The blond friend had given much more info than Odasaku had done three years ago. "Not a member of the Port mafia anymore?" Wigglytuff asked. Kunikda was silent.

Chuuya snorted from his side of the room. "Defecting trash," he said, voice cracking as he started coughing again. It made the saltiness of the insult fail.

Dazai mumbled something unintelligible in response, drawing Wigglytuff's attention back to him. "Mr. Dazai, we'll have you change into a hospital gown, but first I think you'd better lay down." Dazai obediently settled back into the white bed, watching Wigglytuff work. "Could you hand me a thermometer, Rin?" Rin gave her one. "Open," Wigglytuff said softly to Dazai, who obediently stuck out his tongue. After a few seconds, she pulled the thermometer away from his mouth, checking the tiny monitor. "102. That's not very good. We'll have to get your temperature down as well, Mr. Dazai!" Wigglytuff smiled at him.

* * *

Maybe Kunikida was right, and he should have come in earlier. Dazai was irritated that he had allowed himself to contract the silly flu ravaging the city. He had lasted four delirious, feverish days at the agency before Kunikida had finally stepped in and taken him to the hospital (before Akiko was going to chop him up so she could use her ability).

He had been lucid enough to catch the pink-haired doctor before she had fallen on her face. Dazai remembered her from that brief time three years ago. He had never gotten to thank her for the surgery to remove the bullet from his side. _She smelled nice._ Stars, his brain was weird again.

Dazai's entire body ached. He hated being sick. "His fever makes his symptoms more serious,," he heard the doctor tell Kunikida. _Ow._ Her cool fingers on his back had been small points of icy relief, but now she had laid him back down and was walking away. No.. she should stay.. and talk…he liked her voice...

"Pass out and die like the defector trash you are," he deliriously heard Chuuya's voice from across the room, and he half-obliged.

* * *

"I have the night shift, so I can check on him every-so-often," Wigglytuff told Kunikida. "Rin is giving him some medicine that will make him sleepy and help with the muscle pain. If you need to return home, you can."

The evening was growing late. Kunikida nodded. "I will return tomorrow. Thank you for taking him into your hospital's care."

"Chuuya felt asleep," Rin noted. The stream of irritated insults and curses had stopped. They all looked at the two sleeping men. "Hopefully the two of them will be able to get better even though they're sharing a room."

Wigglytuff's pager beeped and she glanced down at the number. "Oh dear. I must go. Rin, please alert me if either wake up." With that, the pink-haired woman dashed out of the room and down the hall.

* * *

The patient's room she had been called to was occupied by a frantic mother and father, and a little girl. The girl had been brought in a day previous with a particularly painful variation of the flu. The nurse quickly stepped aside as Wigglytuff arrived. The girl was barely breathing, and coughs shook her whole body. Wigglytuff murmured comforting words under her breath as she leaned the girl forward, pressing her stethoscope along her back. The sound of her breaths were extremely muffled. _That's not good._

They had already given the girl all the medicine possible for the flu. Wigglytuff paused for a split second, weighing her options. If the patient grew any worse, death was a possibility. However, using her powers was something she didn't make public because, unlike Rin, hers were not an ability. If anyone figured out that Wigglytuff had more than one special "ability" they might deduce that she wasn't human.

"Could you please step out of the room?" Wigglytuff asked the parents. The mother of the patient was crying, but they nodded after a second, trusting Wigglytuff's soft, genuine voice. She waved the nurse out with them. "I've got this handled."

Once they were safely out of the room, Wigglytuff gently laid the girl back down. The child stared back into her teal eyes, fearful and in pain. "Shhh. This won't hurt." Suddenly, little pink sparkles appeared around the girl, coming from Wigglytuff's hands. The girl's eyes went wide. There was no pain when the light sparks touched her. Slowly, her breathing began to grow easier.

"Are you… magic?" the girl whispered reverently. Wigglytuff nodded, smiling sweetly.

"It's our secret, okay?" she whispered back. The patient's eyes slowly closed, and she fell into a restful, healing sleep.

The girl would still require more time in the hospital to be fully healed, but the sickness was mostly gone. Wigglytuff stood, leaving the room. "The coughing subsided and I think she'll be just fine," she told the mother and father.

"Wh-what do you mean? She is very sick-"

"Go and check on her. Your daughter had what we call a painful coughing fit, but all the fluid is out of her lungs now." As the parents went back in the room, Wigglytuff felt happy when she heard the mother's relieved sob. She did not use any of her powers often, but when she did, she always felt better. The nurse blinked at her, knowing that the patient did not have a simple coughing fit, but didn't ask further.

Wigglytuff suddenly felt much sleepier. She blinked, trying to stay on her feet. Ironically, healing sickness like a fever or the flu was harder than healing a bullet wound or a stabbing, because while a bullet wound was focused on one tiny part of a body, a disease required her to heal the entire body. Wigglytuff looked at the clock up on the hallway wall. _Eight_. It was going to be a long night shift. She headed to the staff room, ready for something to drink.

* * *

Around one in the morning, after checking on a few of her patients and answering some calls, Wigglytuff went to check on Dazai and Chuuya. Rin's shift had ended at nine and the hallway the two men's room was on was eerily quiet. The bright white of it was tiring on her eyes, but it kept her awake. The one-a-week night shift was hard.

Their room was dark but she could see Chuuya sleeping in the far bed. She turned her head, fully expecting to see a dark-haired mafioso's tousled hair across his pillow, but.. Dazai was gone.

 _Oh, no._

Wigglytuff sped over to his bed, examining the loose IV cord. He had ripped it out. _?_ There was no way Dazai would be healed or clear-headed enough to go home. If any hospital-gown dressed patient was seen in the entrance hall guards would have brought him back up (unless the person looked really scary or dangerous).. So.. where would he have gone?

The drug she'd given him for the pain was very strong, and Dazai would not be thinking in his best mind. Wigglytuff groaned, already exhausted, and began searching the halls.

* * *

Ten minutes and several stairways later, Dazai was nowhere to be found. She'd paged the front, she'd asked around, and no one had seen him. Wigglytuff frowned. She had checked _every_ floor. _So where…._

 _The roof._

All of the comments Dazai had made about suicide suddenly came to her memory, and Wigglytuff paled. She raced up to the roof in a minute flat, slamming open the final door and ran out onto the flat expanse of the hospital's roof.

There, on the edge, was a hospital-gown-wearing man with familiar wavy dark hair.

"MR. DAZAI!" Wigglytuff yelled at the top of her lungs. Dazai turned slightly, and in the darkness she could see he was very high on his medicine. How on earth he woke up in the first place she would never know. "P-Please come down!"

"It's my doctor! Did you come to do a double suicide with me?" Dazai said happily.

The roof's ledge was two feet tall, and she wasn't strong enough to get him off without risking knocking him over. She was scared to even approach him in case he spooked and jumped away or something. Wigglytuff gritted her teeth, stressed beyond reason. Letting a hopped-up patient die on her watch would not be good, and she didn't want the man to do such a stupid thing. How could she convince him to come off the roof?

Speaking of which…. The cold nighttime breeze would definitely make him sicker, especially in that slip of a hospital gown. It tied on in several places in the back, but she could see the knots were coming loose. The wind blew and it got looser.

"Oh dear," Wigglytuff murmured to herself. "I don't think he'd want me seeing that if he was lucid."

A crazy idea came to mind.

Wigglytuff stepped forward, closing her eyes. She prayed that Dazai was far enough out of it that he wouldn't remember any of this in the morning, and transformed into her big, fluffy pokemon form.

Wigglytuff was a huge, chubby bunny-like creature. She couldn't speak human words in her true form, but was very strong. She made wigglytuff noises, and Dazai turned around again. In the darkness, his eyes widened.

"A magical fluffy bunny," he gasped. Wigglytuff held out her chubby bunny arms to him. "I- Do you want me to come with you? Are you taking me to heaven?"

Wigglytuff internally sighed, but nodded. "I will come with you," Dazai pledged in a reverent voice. She held up a paw to him and he jumped off the ledge back into safety. Into the magical fluffy bunny arms.

 _I never thought I'd be in this situation_ , Wigglytuff thought dryly as she carried Dazai princess-style off the roof and down the stairs. Even though he was several inches taller than her, in her pokemon form the weight was easy. He stared up into her huge teal eyes, entranced by "magical fluffy bunny." "So soft," he whispered, reaching up as they walked for one of her huge ears.

 _This is unreal. At least… he is now safe_. She stuck an ear around the corner, listening carefully for anyone, then crept on soft Wigglytuff paws back to Dazai's room with the man in her arms.

Dazai was sleepily muttering things as she laid him back into his bed, eyes closed. Chuuya was, thankfully, still asleep so no one witnessed her transformation back into her smaller human form. She put the IV back into his wrist, taping it tightly.

His sleepy dark eyes opened slightly, watching her. "Mr. Dazai, please sleep," she whispered, casually upping the dial on the IV so he would get more sleepy drugs. The room was dark and Dazai's bed was the farthest from the window, so the light came from various unused machines around the room.

"Bunny," he whispered back, head lolling. Wigglytuff winced. Hopefully he would not remember. She tucked the blankets back around his shoulders, bending to kiss his forehead before freezing.

She had gotten mixed up and treated him like she did Jigglypuff, her little sister! She always tucked in Jigglypuff like that.

 _How embarrassing,_ Wigglytuff groaned internally. Luckily she hadn't actually kissed her patient like he was a little kid!

Dazai Osamu had grown up a little… but as he drooled into his pillow, she decided, he did not look much different from his eighteen-year-old self.

* * *

 _Jigglypuff yawned as she got ready for school. She glanced in her sister's room, smiling as she saw Wigglytuff's messy curl sticking up above the heap of blankets. The tired doctor had gotten home from her shift at three in the morning._

 _"See you later, Wiggly," Jigglypuff said, and headed out._

* * *

 _next morning_

"Hey Chuuya," Dazai said, then coughed.

Chuuya angrily swore something under his breath. "It's too early to hear your trash voice," he wheezed.

"I had the best dream last night," Dazai continued, ignoring him. "I dreamt a magical chubby bunny carried me to heaven. It had thes huge green-blue eyes, and it was so soft and smelled like strawberries." Dazai sniffed. "Hey.. can you smell that? It still smells like the magical bunny was actually here."

"Shut uppp," Chuuya said.

"No, seriously, don't you smell that? It smells so nice." Dazai was partly playing, but also serious. He could detect a soft scent lingering on his hospital gown, something that reminded him of Wigglytuff, actually.

"Now that you mention it…" his roommate said, sounding serious as well. "I think I… can smell something."

"You too? See, I told you-"

"It smells like human trash. Now let me sleep."

Dazai shut up.

* * *

Wigglytuff slept most the morning. She and Jigglypuff did not own a car (the hospital was very close) and the short walk home at three am from her work had been exhausting.

Around one in the afternoon she woke, showered, and ate some food. It was always nice to unwind after a hard shift. She curled up in one of the soft chairs in the apartment her and Jigglypuff shared, reading to read a book. _It's my day off.. but the hospital is probably very busy still.._ she thought. _No, I won't worry about it. It's my personal time now._

The thought that she should go help kept nagging. Finally, at five, WIgglytuff groaned, closing her book. "Fine. Maybe a little more overtime won't hurt."

* * *

The walk to the hospital was short. Wigglytuff had pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans instead of her usual nice dress and her hair was in a messy bun at the crook of her neck. She would mostly be checking up on any patients that other doctors were too busy to check, probably, and it was her day off (so no major surgeries). As Wigglytuff stepped down the main concrete walk to the entrance, she spied a certain orange-haired man being pushed around in a wheelchair by Rin. "Rin!" she called. The nurse turned.  
"Dr. Wigglytuff!" Chuuya did not say anything as Wigglytuff approached them. "Mr. Nakahara needed to move around to get the fluid out of his lungs, so I took him outside!"

"That's good," Wigglytuff said. It was warm enough outside that the fresh air would be good for the mafioso. "How are you feeling, Mr. Nakahara?"

"Like crap. your hospital is worse than if I just laid down in an alleyway and died."

"He means he's getting better!" Rin said happily. "I think Mr. Nakahara just misses his hat."

Wigglytuff giggled as Chuuya went red. He did not seem to mind Rin at all, even though he pretended to be angry. "How is Mr. Dazai?" she wondered, remembering the other patient who was the reason she felt so tired that day.

"He is doing better as well," Rin said. "His fever has broken but he still has bad muscle aches. I was going to take him outside too, after Mr. Nakahara." Wigglytuff didn't miss the way Chuuya frowned, looking jealous.

"That's all right. I think Mr. Dazai has gotten plenty of exercise already." Both Chuuya and Rin stared at her, confused. "I-I'll see you later, then!" Wigglytuff said quickly, not wanting to explain anything. She walked away fast.

Dazai was on the third floor. The pink-haired doctor walked down the hallway, stepping around all the people talking and checking out of the hospital (most of them obviously mafioso or otherwise dangerous). Just then, she spotted a little girl who was staring at her.  
It was Barbara, the girl she had used her powers on the previous night. Her parents and her were being escorted out to the check-out, but the mother and father stopped when they saw their little girl do the same. "Hello," Wigglytuff said, kneeling in front of her. "You look much healthier!" She smiled kindly at Barabara. It was so wonderful to see that she was truly all better.

"Th-thank you," the girl whispered shly. Suddenly, she threw her arms around Wigglytuff's neck in a childish and cute hug. Wigglytuff, after a second, returned it, squeezing the girl tight. "Thank you for using your magic to heal me," was whispered against her ear. "I won't tell anyone you're a fairy."

A fairy? Wigglytuff blinked, then giggled. "Okay," she said, releasing the girl. "Go home with your parents now." Her voice dropped conspiratorially.. "Don't get sick again, otherwise I might have to turn you into a frog!" The girl giggled.

The woman stood, watching Barbara leave with her parents. The child turned one last time, waving her little hand at Wigglytuff, who waved back. A warm, happy feeling filled her up inside. _If using my powers can help this much… maybe I should do it more often._

* * *

Another doctor (a nice old man) had come to check on him. Dazai obediently performed all the movements and sat through all the temperature readings, but wondered where Dr. Wigglytuff was. He sat on the edge of his bed as the new doctor was checking a machine, legs swinging like a little kid. The bandages on his arms were still left, looking odd against the pale blue of the hospital gown that reach down to his knees.

The brown-haired man looked out the open door of the room into the large hallway outside. Suddenly, he realized that he could see Dr. Wigglytuff. She was standing a few feet down the hall, in the view of the doorway.

The pink-haired woman had stopped, kneeling, as a little girl hugged her. _That must be a patient,_ Dazai thought. He hadn't talked with Dr. WIgglytuff much, but she seemed like a nice person as well as a good doctor. She had helped him get better twice. _If maybe a little clumsy._ He remembered how she'd fallen against him, and how her head would have fit underneath his chin- anyways. She was a good doctor.

He heard the little girl giggle and watched as Dr. Wigglytuff smiled down at her. The sound of the doctor behind him talking faded away as Dazai stared at the woman. Her smile was bright and genuine and nearly sparkled with light. _I never realized it after meeting her twice, but… she's really pretty._ Most likely because he was finally sentient and not in extreme pain.

The other doctor behind him was talking again, but Dazai forgot to focus. Wigglytuff finished saying goodbye to the girl and turned towards the room. He quickly looked away, not wanting her to catch him staring.

"Hello, Dr. Wigglytuff," the other old-man doctor said when Wigglytuff came into the large room. "I thought today was your day off." Dazai observed the dark pink jeans and loose gray sweatshirt she wore, very different from the skirts and dresses he had seen her in before. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, pink strands falling out. She was… _really cute._

"Ah, hello Dr. Iki! Yes, it is my day off but I thought I could help out a little since the hospital is very busy this week," the woman said, smiling. Did she ever stop smiling? Dazai wondered. "How is Mr. Dazai?" She looked at him, meeting his eyes.

"I'd like more of that sleeping potion you drugged me with last night, but otherwise fine," Dazai said, smiling back. He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Dr. Iki won't give any more to me."

Wigglytuff laughed, taking the clipboard the other doctor handed to her and browsing over its contents for any new updates. "That's because sleeping too much won't help your get over your flu!" She tapped the clipboard, pausing. "His fever has broken? That's good."

"Yes, and he was strong enough to not be on the IV anymore. I was just about to check his breathing, but if it's all right with you, I will move onto other patients?"

"That's fine! I'll take care of him now." Dr. Iki waved to Dazai, who waved back as the other left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well," Wigglytuff said, grabbing her stethoscope, "I hope you had a good morning and afternoon, even without being drugged."

"I suppose… " Dazai said, watching her and sitting back on his bed. Her aura was very calming and he felt more relaxed. "I slept most of the morning as well. Chuuya's yelling woke me up."

"Mr. Nakahara does seem very prone to extreme emotion," Wigglytuff, laughing. "I hope Rin's taking him out on a walk will help him relax. Sit, please?" He sat up.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, turning him slightly so he faced the far well. "She's a very good nurse. We don't have very many people with Abilities here at the hospital, and hers is particularly usful…" Dazai found it hard to focus on her words when he felt her fingers undo the top tie on his hospital gown. The cold stethoscope pressed against his skin, and she went quiet, listening. Maybe it was because he wasn't in extreme pain anymore, but it felt infinitely more awkward than last time. He heard her _hmmm_ as she moved the instrument lower, beneath his shoulder blades. He tried not to breathe.

Wigglytuff giggled. "Mr. Dazai, please don't hold your breath. It makes your heartbeat speed up and I can't check how healthy your lungs are."

"Apologies," Dazai said breezily, glad that she couldn't see his face. His cheeks felt hot. _I forgot she was also listening to my heartbeat._ Why was it speeding up so fast? "Do many people at the hospital have an Ability?"

"Not many," Wigglytuff said. She sounded uncomfortable. "Often, it's hard for people with them to stay neutral in the crime war, so I rarely see people like Rin..."

Dazai finally voiced the question he had been wondering. "Dr. Wigglytuff... you don't have an ability, do you?"

Her fingers brushed his skin again as she removed the stethoscopes. "No, I do not have an ability. Besides, if I did, it wouldn't work on you, anyways." He could hear the smile in her voice. "Nullification is a rare and powerful magic." Wigglytuff retied the hospital gown. "Anyways, you are improving steadily! I think your stomach is empty, though. Have they brought a meal for you?"

"No," Dazai said. Suddenly, Wigglytuff's stomach growled loudly. He stared at her. She blushed.

"I-I have not eaten either. I think.. I will go get some solid food the both of us. "

He watched her go, smiling to himself. She was much more… real.. than he remembered from three years ago. _Wigglytuff is a very nice woman._

* * *

Wigglytuff hurried back from the hospital cafeteria with two trays of food. She felt bad for just dropping off food for Dazai and then leaving to eat with the doctors, and besides, it would be nice to talk with him. He was looking very healthy. _A good thing, after last night's scare,_ she thought to herself.

"I'm back," she said as she entered the room. Chuuya and Rin were still not back. Dazai stood to help her with the large tray.

Suddenly, she tripped over her foot, the tray (and her balance) went out of her hands. "Ah!" she gasped, trying grab it even as she fell. _Why am I so clumsy?_ She'd tripped again!

Reaching out, Dazai caught her and the tray, just before the two sandwiches on it slipped off the edge. Wigglytuff blinked up into his face, feeling very deja vu. He had saved the situation with one arm around her waist and another beneath the unbalanced tray.

"You didn't, by chance, take the sleeping medication too?" he said, staring back into her eyes. "Dr. Wigglytuff."

"N-no, I'm just very naturally clumsy," she stuttered, thrown off by his closeness. His arm was warm and tight around her waist. After a pause, he released her. "Thank you for catching me.. again. Usually I just fall on my face in front of the other medical staff."

"If my favorite doctor gets hurt I won't be able to get better either," Dazai said, sitting back down on the bed and grabbing a sandwich. "These look good." _Favorite doctor?_ Wigglytuff blinked. That.. was very nice.

Her stomach growled again and she sat down in the room's extra chair, next to Dazai's bed. "If you feel sick at all while eating it, do not hesitate to tell me," the pink-haired woman told him. He kept chewing but nodded. They both dug into the small meal, punctuated by Dazai's brief coughing every-so-often.

After a few minutes, Wigglytuff finally spoke up again. "Mr. Dazai… you are no longer in the mafia, but in the ADA? Why is that?"

Dazai finished his sandwich. "A friend convinced me that… being on the side of helping and protecting people would be more beneficial.. than what the mafia does." He smiled at Wigglytuff. "That is why I joined the Armed Detective Agency."

"A friend.." Wigglytuff said, recalling the first time she had seen Dazai, at eighteen years old. "..Odasaku?"

Dazai looked surprised. "I had forgotten you met him. Yes, that's… he is the one who helped me see better things." Wigglytuff could sense the tone of sadness in his voice. She opened her mouth, then stopped. _Did he…_

"Yes, he passed away," he said, seeing her questioning gaze. "It was two years ago, so I have moved on."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "He was obviously a dear friend to you. It must have been hard."

"It was." Dazai flipped onto his stomach, sighing. "But what's even harder now is that Kunikida refuses to bring me my PSP." He moaned dramatically, pressing his face into the bed. "I was nearly about to pass another level on Super Fast Racing 2.0! I no longer have any reason to live!"

Wigglytuff laughed. "Mr. Kunikida seemed like a very level-headed man. Perhaps if I called him and explained that your life depended on that game, he would come?"

"Kunikida is a soggy sock," Dazai mumbled into the blankets. "He's like an annoying moldy father at the ADA."

"No, he was very nice!' Wigglytuff laughed more. Dazai's (mostly) pretend immaturity was funny to her. "Do you have any family?"

"No, no family," Dazai said, then coughed, rolling onto his side. _If he's moving around that much, I think he'll be able to check out tomorrow afternoon_ , the doctor thought. "What about you, Dr. Wigglytuff?"

"I have a sister that I live with, Jigglypuff."

"A sister.. that's nice. Younger or older?"

"Younger, by ten years. She's eighteen, goes to the Port High School." Wigglytuff sighed, thinking of Jigglypuff. "She wants to be an idol instead of going to college...She has an amazing voice, but I just want her to be safe and happy and I don't know if this career will bring it to her… Even though her new manager is her age and a nice boy, I… Jigglypuff is crazy.." Then the pink-haired woman jumped, realizing she had fallen into her nagging-older-sister mode. "S-sorry! I got distracted. What were we talking about?"

The sound of Dazai's quiet laughter filled her ears. She blushed. He was chuckling at her little tangent. "You sound like Kunikida when he goes into dad-mode. Jigglypuff must be very lucky to have an older sister like you."

"Th-thank you," Wigglytuff murmured. "The ADA must be very lucky to have a funny man like you." She smiled back at him. For a few seconds, there was silence. _Maybe.. I should look away from his face…_ she thought, but didn't really want to.

The sound of Chuuya's angry yelling startled the two of them, and both looked to the door. "Why is he still in my room?" Chuuya shrieked when he saw Dazai's trash face. "I thought he would have died by now."

"Mr. Nakahara, you don't really mean that, do you?" Rin said, pushing his wheelchair inside. "You're just hungry."

"I aM NOT-" All the occupants heard his stomach growl 10x louder than Wigglytuff's had done.

"That's what I thought," Rin said happily. "Oh, hello, Dr. Wigglytuff! I didn't know you'd be staying this long."

"I was just planning to go home, actually," Wigglytuff said quickly. The atmosphere between her and Dazai felt strange, and she still felt tired from her shift the previous night. She stood, brushing crumbs off her legs. "Mr. Dazai, I'll be here tomorrow morning to check on you, but it seems like besides a cough, you are nearly well. Make sure to keep coughing so that your lungs can clear out. The hospital will monitor you tonight as well for any remission of the virus."

Dazai looked away guiltily, and Wigglytuff immediately knew why. "You're sneaking out tonight, aren't you," she said, fighting a smile. _Of course._ "Mafiosos and public defenders alike, I will never understand…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dr. Wigglytuff," Dazai said, smiling back. "I always make sure to be fully healed before leaving hospitals."

"Not if I recall.." Wigglytuff said, laughing. "Oh, well. Tell Mr. Kunikida that if you have a hard time breathing that he should take you right back here to me. What time is he coming to pick you up?"

"Eight." Chuuya looked super jealous that Dazai was already feeling better when he had been sicker in the first place.

"All right. It was wonderful to see you again, ...Osamu. " The man looked back at her, briefly surprised at her use of his first name. His brown-red eyes pondered on hers. "Be safe."

"I will," he said. "Dr. Wigglytuff."

* * *

Dr. Iki stopped her as soon as she got into the hall. As she'd expected, there were more people coming in who needed help. Wigglytuff didn't mind, though. Her goodbye with Dazai had left an odd, strange warmth in her chest that buoyed her up and mad eher feel floating. She was able to handle every annoyed and irritated hitman, woman, and killer than arrived, all with a bright smile and bouncy pink bangs.

"I'm sorry, I know you weren't planning to stay very long," Dr. Iki apologized a few hours later, as Wigglytuff pulled off her disposable gloves, after dealing with a barfing patient. "We always get an influx around seven, and I forget…"

"No, it's all right," Wigglytuff said. She pulled her hair free from the bun it had been in all day. It was probably really messy, she thought. "My sister was planning to go out with friends this evening so she won't have missed me." After three hand washes in the sink in the doctors lounge, she decided she was clean.

It was nearly eight. Wigglytuff yawned. "I'll sleep well tonight," she said aloud to herself.

The doctor headed down the stairs and through the first floor hallway. Many darkly-dressed people in trenchcoats with weapons littered the entranceway, all either trying to sneak out or legally check out of the hospital. Wigglytuff scratched down her name on the check-out for doctors.

She caught sight of a familiar head of chocolate brown hair, and looked up. It was Dazai. He was dressed in his regular clothes, his sand-colored trenchcoat thrown over one arm, and was saying something to Kunikida. "Dazai!" she called, waving. Both turned. Dazai spotted her amidst the people mulling in the lobby, and smiled, waving back.

Wigglytuff was twenty-eight years old, and very experienced with the world (especially medical things), and human emotion. She knew what features humans considered attractive and what love was. She felt love for her dear sister Jigglypuff, for her co-workers, and even for the patients she helped.

Never, ever had Wigglytuff felt what she felt right then, as her and Dazai met eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and a happy warmth filled her upon seeing his smile, even so far away. The world seemed to fade away as they stared at each other. Then, someone bumped into her, and the feeling was lost. She made a motion for him to hurry out before someone stopped him.

He nodded his understanding, and pulled Kunikida further through the crowds. Wigglytuff watched the two of them leave.

 _Goodbye, Osamu Dazai,_ she thought. P _lease be safe._

* * *

 _What was that?_ Dazai wondered. _That odd, brief moment when we locked eyes..._

"Was that Dr. Wigglytuff?" Kunikida asked him as they made it to the car in the dark parking garage.

"Mmhmm," Dazai said. He coughed again. He was unfocused on the current situation, staring at the ground intently. It had been very odd… when he had met eyes with Wigglytuff from across the lobby floor, _and seen her smile..._ He pressed a hand against his chest. _Th-thump. Thu-thump_. It must have been a rush of healthy dopamine because his body was happy it wasn't sick anymore, he reasoned. Because he felt ridiculously happy.

Kunikida started the car and they drove for a few minutes in silence. Dazai looked out the window at the darkness of the passing city. "Glad to be healthy again," he said, then coughed. _If I was really sick for a while longer, though, then maybe Dr. Wigglytuff would have checked up on me more..._

"Everyone at the agency is happy to hear that you've recovered," Kunikida said. Dazai was silent. The blond man glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. More silence. He was obviously thinking very hard.

"How old is she?" Kunikida asked.

"Pardon?" Dazai said, turning away from the window.

"Dr. Wigglytuff. How old is she?"

"She's… twenty-eight," the dark-haired man said, after a pause. Kunikida smiled. Dazai was an amazing pretender, but he had known the man for a while, and he could sense what he was feeling. He had seen the way Dazai had smiled at the pink-haired doctor in the hospital lobby.

"Seven years isn't that big of an age difference," Kunikida said casually, turning the car down another street. Dazai didn't say anything for a little bit.

"I suppose it's not."

No other words were said, but Kunikida could see the wheels turning in Dazai's mind. _I wonder... if ...?_

* * *

 _end of the second encounter_


End file.
